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Maresca to assess Cole Palmer in final session as Chelsea weigh multiple fitness issues

Maresca will assess Cole Palmer ahead of Brentford; updates on Delap, Essugo, Caicedo, squad fitness

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca confirmed Cole Palmer will undergo a late fitness check ahead of Saturday’s trip to Brentford after an Instagram post hinted at a return. The post was captioned “soon back”, but Maresca made clear no selection decision has been taken yet.

“Cole took part in the session yesterday for the first time, not the entire session,” Maresca told his Friday news conference. “We have one more session this afternoon and we are going to try with him to see if he’s OK, otherwise he will be out tomorrow.” He added context on Palmer’s recovery: “He is recovering from an injury, it’s not managing him, it’s recovering from an injury. When he is available, we need to manage him because of the amount of games.”

Maresca also provided an update on the striker situation and the club’s longer-term absences. He put a return estimate of between 10 and 12 weeks on Liam Delap after a hamstring problem that did not require surgery. The manager set out the immediate attacking options: “The only No. 9 is [Marc] Guiu and João [Pedro] can also play there. Against Fulham, we used Tyrique [George] as a No. 9, so we can also think about him.”

Defensive and midfield availability remains mixed. Levi Colwill is still sidelined with a long-term ACL injury. There are concerns over summer signing Dário Essugo, who could miss a large part of the season after undergoing surgery on his own issue. On a more positive note, Benoît Badiashile and Roméo Lavia returned to training in midweek.

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The only additional doubts are linked to Chelsea’s South American players. Moisés Caicedo returned late from Ecuador duty and will face a fitness check. Maresca confirmed there are “question marks” about Brazilian trio João Pedro, Andrey Santos and Estêvão after a gruelling defeat to Bolivia in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The manager will assess the squad across the remaining sessions before finalising his selections for Brentford.

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Robert Sánchez escaped injury after Ferrari crash at the Nürburgring

Robert Sánchez was unhurt after his Ferrari was badly damaged in a crash at the Nürburgring.

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Robert Sánchez was not injured after his Ferrari was badly damaged in a crash at the Nürburgring on Monday.

The incident left his Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, valued at around $400k, heavily damaged and facing a costly repair bill. Chelsea confirmed that Sánchez, 28, was not driving when the crash happened.

According to the report, a friend had taken the car for a test lap shortly before the goalkeeper was due to drive on the same circuit. Sánchez was at the Nürburgring as part of one of the tourist sessions, where members of the public can pay to take their own vehicles around the famous track, known as the Green Hell.

A British tourist driving behind the Ferrari told The Sun that the car appeared to enter the corner too quickly before striking the barrier.

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“He slammed into the corner and the track immediately got red flagged,” the witness is quoted as saying. “It’s a banked corner that goes on more than 180 degrees and he clearly had put too much gas on and drove straight into the barrier.

“The front of the Ferrari was completely demolished and parts were sprayed all over the track.

“We had to drive through the wreckage to get out.”

The witness also said it took an hour to clear the debris, and described the car, which carried Sánchez’s name, as “completely ruined.” Photographs from the scene showed the black and purple supercar with a smashed front end and plastic bags filled with broken parts.

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Sánchez, who is on loan at Cesc Fàbregas’ Como this season, was later seen at Belgium’s Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, although he was reportedly only watching rather than driving there.

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Ngumoha explains why Liverpool move was an easy call after Chelsea exit

Ngumoha says Liverpool offered him a clearer route to first-team football than Chelsea ever could.

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Rio Ngumoha has described his switch from Chelsea to Liverpool as an obvious decision, saying the promise of a clearer route to first-team football made the move straightforward.

Chelsea were frustrated to lose a highly rated youngster, with Liverpool eventually paying a minimum of $3.7 million after a tribunal. But for Ngumoha, the attraction of a defined pathway at Anfield outweighed everything else.

“I feel like I needed a new challenge,” Ngumoha told The Guardian. “Liverpool gave me a new pathway. The plan that they set for me was straightforward. It was a no-brainer. They just said if I prove myself then they know that I would definitely be a star for them in the making.”

The 18-year-old has already begun to justify that faith. After making his debut in the 2024-25 season, he went on to feature 29 times the following campaign, a year highlighted by a late winner against Newcastle United in the Premier League.

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Arne Slot provided the platform for his breakthrough, and Ngumoha is now benefiting from fresh leadership. Andoni Iraola has given him regular starts and useful minutes from the bench, with the forward generally impressing and adding two assists.

Ngumoha also sees the Ballon d’Or as a realistic target in the future, helped by the wider impact of Harry Kane’s success. “Harry Kane winning the Ballon d’Or is definitely a big thing,” said the teenager. “It’s also helped English football now because everyone’s seen one of us win the Ballon d’Or , it is definitely encouraging many more people to want to be known as the best player in the world.

“For me, I would like to achieve it and I think I can do it.”

He will have the chance to discuss that ambition with Kane during the current international break, after being named once more in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

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Ngumoha’s departure also reflects a familiar pattern. Chelsea’s habit of collecting elite young talent has often led to players seeking opportunities elsewhere, and he joins the likes of Marc Guéhi, Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento and Michael Olise in leaving Stamford Bridge in search of a clearer route to senior soccer.

Even so, Chelsea’s approach has not changed. Last summer they spent $167 million on four players aged 22 or under, yet minutes have remained hard to find. Dastan Satpayev has already gone on loan, while Geovany Quenda, Marco Palestra and Valentín Barco have managed only four Premier League starts between them.

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Five Possible Moves for Estêvão, Ranked

Estêvão is short of minutes at Chelsea, and several major clubs could enter the picture.

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Estêvão’s place in Xabi Alonso’s plans appears secure in theory, but the evidence on the pitch has told a different story. The Brazilian youngster has found minutes hard to come by in a system built around a back three and wingbacks, which has left little space for wide forwards. He was even left on the bench when Chelsea exited the Carabao Cup on penalties to Liverpool last month.

There was a reminder of what he can offer when Alonso shifted to a 4-2-3-1 for the recent win over Manchester United. Estêvão started on the right and produced a strong display. Yet that momentum did not last, with another formation change ahead of the defeat to Sunderland before the international break sending him back to the bench.

BBC Sport reported in September that Estêvão was among a small group of “untouchable” Chelsea players, alongside Moisés Caicedo, Cole Palmer and João Pedro. Even so, a player of his ability, and one who has long attracted attention, could eventually begin to look elsewhere if the current situation does not improve.

If that point arrives, several destinations could enter the picture.

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Paris Saint-Germain remain a logical name in any discussion of elite attacking talent, particularly after their summer reshuffle. But with Lee Kang-in, Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos already moved on, and with Maghnes Akliouche, Ferran Torres and Mika Godts arriving, they are more likely to trust their current options. They have also been hit by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s ACL tear, though Luis Enrique still has plenty to work with.

Liverpool is another obvious possibility. After Mohamed Salah’s departure in the summer, Andoni Iraola has used Bradley Barcola, Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha on the right wing, but that position may still need greater certainty. A Chelsea sale to a Premier League rival would be difficult to imagine, yet the financial logic is there.

Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, would make sense only if the situation worsened and Chelsea agreed to a loan in January. They may not be as imposing as they once were, but the club still has a reputation for developing talent. Estêvão may not be the ideal Niko Kovać wide player, but Dortmund would be one to watch if temporary respite becomes the next step.

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